Florida GOP: Greer had hundreds of party documents at his Oviedo home

July 30, 2010|By Rene Stutzman, Orlando Sentinel

SANFORD — When Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents raided the Oviedo home of ousted Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer in June, they not only handcuffed him and hauled him to jail, they also found boxes filled with party records.

Greer, awaiting trial on six felony counts,wasn'tsupposed to have the documents in his possession, according to the party. That's a firing offense and a violation of the party-loyalty oath he signed when he became chairman in 2007, its lawyer alleges.

The state GOP is now asking a Sanford judge to throw out Greer's lawsuit against it. He filed suit in April, accusing the party of cheating him out of a $123,000 severance package.

What did agents find at Greer's home?

Hundreds of pages of party-insider information, including records documenting credit-card spending and consultant contracts, two things that led to Greer's downfall.

There were American Express bills, annual budgets, general party spending records, a list of salaries and party e-mail.

And the American Express bills documented spending by some party notables: incoming Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, who helped lead the effort to oust Greer; outgoing Senate President Jeff Atwater, R- North Palm Beach; Ken Pruitt, Atwater's predecessor; and former Florida House Speaker Allan Bense.

It was not clear why the party records were at Greer's home in June, five months after he resigned during a firestorm of criticism over extravagant spending and financial mismanagement.

His attorney, Damon Chase of Lake Mary, did not return phone calls Friday.

Greer has asked a judge to put his lawsuit on hold. Chase, his lawyer, contends Greer cannot be placed under oath and answer questions from party lawyers while awaiting trial on corruption charges.

A statewide grand jury indicted Greer in May, charging him with six felonies: four counts of grand theft plus organized fraud and money laundering. He's accused of stealing $125,000 by setting up a shell company that siphoned money from political donations to the party.

His lawyers say he is innocent, that the shell company, Victory Strategies LLC, was a legitimate business that earned a 10 percent commission on all major party donations.

According to the indictment, though, the $125,000 that wound up in Greer's personal accounts was no commission. It was money the party paid Victory Strategies for services the company never provided, such as polling for the Charlie Crist Senate campaign.

Greer, 48, is free on $105,000 bail. His criminal trial is set for Oct. 18 at the Orange County Courthouse, although that is likely to be pushed back.

In the dispute over Greer's severance package, Circuit Judge Alan Dickey is to hear arguments Nov. 23 on whether to halt work in that case until the criminal one is resolved.

The party, though, in pleadings filed July 16, alleges that Dickey should throw out the suit because Greer was hiding evidence: these party records at his house.

On April 20, the party demanded that Greer turn over all records in his possession that were "in any way relating to any of the matters set forth in your complaint in this case."

He turned over 160 pages, according to state-party pleadings, withholding most of the party paperwork found by FDLE agents at his home.

Greer was not only hiding evidence, wrote party attorney Kenneth Sukhia, but the former chairman also was keeping the party from discovering that it had a legal basis to fire him.

When Greer took over as chairman, he signed a party-loyalty oath and confidentiality agreement that banned him from taking any records — paper or electronic — from party headquarters in Tallahassee, according to Sukhia's pleadings.

Also among the party paperwork FDLE agents found at Greer's home were:

•Records comparing the party's actual spending in 2009 to its budget.

•Records of the party's cash position.

•Records of the party's base operating expenses.

•Records related to air-charter company Baer Air.

•Consultant contracts.

•Crist for U.S. Senate expenses for the third quarter of 2009.

•Crist call sheets from Feb. 3, 2009.

•A state-party letter Greer wrote Crist dated Jan. 5, 2010.

In addition, agents also found a $4,150 bill from GrayRobinson, the law firm that Greer hired to set up Victory Strategies. The firm says it was never paid.